Vallejo police, city sued for killing family dogs

Two civil rights lawsuits were filed Wednesday against the city of Vallejo that blame police for the deaths of family dogs.

In one case, 21-year-old plaintiff Lindsey Pilotti said police caused her home to catch fire, killing her two beloved dogs -- 3-year-old "Alize" and 1-year-old "Kush" -- when officers fired tear-gas canisters into the house she was renting on Castlewood Drive.

Leading up to the incident, officers had responded to a reported robbery across town in which the victim was assaulted. About 20 minutes later, the suspects' vehicle was spotted parked near Pilotti's home. An officer reported at least five suspects walking toward the house, but did not see them enter the home.

Believing the suspects were inside, officers surrounded the home and maintained a perimeter for several hours, using megaphones to call out to the suspects who were believed to be inside.

At some point, police fired an unknown number of tear-gas canisters into the house. A fire erupted in the utility room, possibly because one or more of the canisters knocked over flammable household products, authorities said.

The suspects were never caught.

Pilotti said she picked up the two carcasses the next day from a city garbage dump. No one had told her the previous day that her two pitbull terriers were found dead inside one of the bedrooms.

In the second lawsuit, plaintiffs Erika Gregory and Loren Mollner allege an officer shot and killed their 11-year-old Labrador-mix, "Belle," after entering their yard unannounced on May 10. The officer was following up on an identity-theft report filed by the plaintiffs involving checks being stolen from their home on the corner of Kentucky and Trinity streets.

Both lawsuits seek unspecified damages, naming the city and Vallejo Police Chief Joseph Kreins as responsible parties, among others.

The city has not responded in court to the claims.

A police department spokesman declined to comment Wednesday.

Walnut Creek attorney Nick Casper, who is representing both plaintiffs, said the separate incidents reflect a pattern of "aggressive" and "reckless" behavior by Vallejo police.

"Both clients lost dogs that were almost viewed as family members," Casper said. "These lawsuits have been filed because the city has denied any responsibility for either incident."